A 1981 best-seller is causing a huge commotion around Madison College. “Getting to YES: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In” is a nonfiction best-seller that teaches principled negotiation. In October, Madison College was lucky enough to have one of the book’s authors, Dr. Bruce Patton, take some time out of his busy schedule to speak to people from all over Madison on the subject.

Negotiation is considered a fundamental part of doing business. Dr. Patton has worked with important people from all over the world, like Nelson Mandela and President Oscar Arias of Costa Rica, on the subject of negotiating peace. There is no shortage of problems in the world, but not everyone thinks of these problems as negotiations. Dr. Patton stressed that readers will be able to use the methods he describes to solve problems ranging from international conflict to difficult roommates. Now, college students aren’t going out to deal with conflicts in foreign countries yet, but I’m sure the roommate subject will strike a cord with a few people. Dr. Patton also stressed that places with success stories create hope, and one such place is Madison College. The techniques Dr. Patton advises are referred to as Interest Based Problem Solving by the Madison College board and the Shared Governance.

The Shared Governance was founded on the principles of collaboration, equality, accountability, and ownership. It believes that these principles are the framework of the college’s success and many of the Governance’s members were seen Dr. Patton’s event. The techniques taught in “Getting to YES: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In” are used when making a lot of the college’s big decisions, and if students want a say in what happens in their college they should pick up a copy of the book and learn how the process works.